"He attempted to make a return to the airport, but couldn't make it so he put it down in a cornfield," Kunkel said.

Firefighters from Oswego, Sugar Grove and Plainfield, Ill., responded to the crash. Fire officials said they had difficulty accessing the crash because of wet fields.

The vintage plane was made in 1944 and is known as the "Flying Fortress." Cory said it is registered to the Liberty Foundation in Miami.

"It's devastating to the foundation. I mean, we're all volunteer crews so it's not like it's a job for us, it's a labor of love," said Keith Youngblood, a crewmember. "Just to see it gone, it's terrible, absolutely terrible."

The plane was to appear for a scheduled event at Indianapolis Regional Airport this weekend as part of a nationwide tour.